


sub rosa

by enesnl



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Mystery, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-10-12 01:57:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17458424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enesnl/pseuds/enesnl
Summary: sana is new in town but comes harboring a Secret.(probably discontinued :/)





	1. intro

**Author's Note:**

> hi i worked really hard on this pls enjoy >.<
> 
> much love to my betas lucy and julie :3

Intro

 

 

Minatozaki Sana woke with a start as her mom's Subaru Outback drove through a rather deep pithole in the pavement. Her mom was a reckless driver, especially evident on the deserted highway toward some nowhere town they were moving to. It looked like it had been years since the road and street signs were reconditioned and even more since eyes were laid on them. Only an occasional crow could be heard as the old wheels skidded past every faded street line and rocks of varying sizes. 

Sana had one leg up on the dash and the big toe of the other tracing various shapes and lines onto the thin layer of accumulated dust. She rested her forehead on the window, lazily gazing in the side mirror at the long highway behind them and counting every minute until the next sign that marked "200 miles until Zeoville" until "129 miles until Zeoville" until "89 miles until Zeoville" and so on. Sana lost count and wondered how she'd fare on one of those solitude survival shows - creating small games to pass the neverending, occasionally unbearable, boredom. 

The only other voice that was heard for miles was the screeching vocalist of her dad's old high school rock band. They only had one CD, "Lovesick Serpent" by the Lady Monsters. Sana loved her dad, but could only take so much of the whiny, melodramatic lyrics that could only be written in adolescence. But even in the worst songs, there was always that one, hackneyed yet universally poignant line that stuck with you. "I'll love you through different lifetimes and different lovers because souls don't break and even in your death I'll hover" (from track 2, Soulmate, which was briefly a local hit). 

"This song's your favorite, right honey?" Ms. Minatozaki slightly turned the music volume down, briefly glancing over her right shoulder to the backseat. No response. "Ah, the old fart is sleeping. He used to always tell me about this one groupie that dated every member - I think she ended up marrying one of them."

Sana sighed and slowly drifted off to sleep again as the red sun slowly descended below the horizon and dusk fell.

\----------

A loud car door slam startled Sana out of her dreamless reverie. "We're here!" her mom yelled, giving the hood of the car a good slap and heavily sighing, exasperated from the 13-hour trip. They were parked in the driveway of a modest one-story house, spectacularly unspectacular in nature. It was an orange color with off-white trimmings and an unkempt lawn. Sana hated orange, but it would do. It wasn't like it mattered anyway. 

Sana unbuckled her seatbelt in a half weak-half lazy manner and stepped one foot out of the car door with the force of zero energy and only inertia to drag the other foot out, somewhat stomping in effect. She stood up, lightly massaging her aching butt and stretching her arms out far above her head as she drawled out a long, hard yawn. 

"I'll grab your dad and I's suitcases and you get yours with whatever essentials you need for tonight. Your father will start on the household items and we can all fully move in tomorrow when the uhaul gets here." Ms. Minatozaki awkwardly and clumsily pulled two suitcases via their handles up the uneven rocky path toward the front door, pausing at the threshold. "Come on, go pick your room!" Sana tried not to laugh at her precious mom's reddened cheeks and the way her sentence fainted into a yawn.

Sana languidly walked toward the open trunk and grabbed her pink suitcase, hefting it out with a grunt and landing it harshly on the ground. Her eyes widened at the slight rattle that emerged and quickly grabbed her sleeping bag, purse, and the plastic bag of gas station snacks from the front seat before dashing inside. A few seconds passed before a delicate hand cracked open the door and a resounding beep indicated the locking of a car. Sana thought forgetfulness might be hereditary. 

\----------

There were three rooms in the house: the master bedroom, a smaller but still adequately sized room right next to it, and a room with sliding doors that she supposed was previously an office. Sana chose the last room for additional privacy, with the perk of being closest to the kitchen. Situated in the center of the empty room, Sana sat with her knees up to her chest and her palms pressed to her closed eyelids, sighing. She heard the shower turn on in the master bedroom and after a few minutes, she heard the sounds her mom tended to make at night. She didn't think Sana could hear them but she did (or maybe it was just hope).

Sana reached for her suitcase about an arm's length away. It was a bit lopsided from the slightly tumultuous trip, and carelessly zipped up as the spiraled corner of a calendar peeked out. Sana fully unzipped it, opening it up like the first page of a story. The calendar was splayed right on top, Betty Boop staring at her with eyelashes that she almost swore were fluttering. She carefully picked it up and turned toward the month of October, finding Betty in a different pose and winking at her. Withdrawing a purple gel pen from her purse, she attempted to circle a date but found she had to scribble a few lines in the corner before reaching the smooth, full pigment. On a whim, she also decided to apply some purple eyeliner to Betty, but regretted it immediately after. She apologized to Betty and closed the calendar, reminding herself to ask her mom where the thumb tacks were tomorrow. 

Setting the calendar aside, Sana removed her special box tucked away in the corner of the suitcase. It was one of those ballerina music boxes with extra room for jewelery or other personal items. She begged her dad for months to buy it for her, and finally on her 8th birthday, she unwrapped his present to find a beautiful pink box decorated with royal carvings, fit for a princess. He even had it engraved with her initials. Those were better times, happier times. 

Even the key to the box was special, not one of those cheap, mass-produced ones. This key was specific to this box and only Sana held the original. It was inconspicuously hidden on her key ring, among other tiny plushies, a mini flashlight, household keys, and a single silver ring on a beaded chain. She inserted the key into its intended hole, watching as an internal mechanism lifted the lid and raised the floor of the box up so the ballerina figurine in the center was upright in its porcelain glory. After assessing the other contents in the box, Sana wound up the lever on the side and gazed at the ballerina as she twirled and twirled clockwise, getting ready to dance her mini stage and perform her song. 

It only played one tune: pavane pour une infante défunte as composed by Maurice Ravel (music box version). When Sana was a child, she couldn't sleep without hearing it and even now as an adult, it gave her a sense of safety. She reached the end of the wind and let go, listening as the first notes echoed against the empty walls and drowned out the sounds of her mom. Laying the makeshift bed on the carpet, Sana added an extra blanket inside and scooted in, cocooning herself and resting her eyes as the song lulled her to sleep.

\----------

The sun was high in the sky as the harsh rays shone on Sana's cheek, awaking her from her slumber in a persistent, pain-inducing way. Sana rubbed her eyes in annoyance and dove her face deeper into the vaguely comfortable fabric. After a few seconds, she sighed and got up to close the blinds. From the heat and strength of the light, Sana guessed it was around 11am. She heard her mom informing the movers where to place the couch and the multiple adjustments afterward.

"Hmm, move it to the right a little more. Yes, perfect." Sana slid her door open, peeking her head out to find her mom in what looked like deep scrutiny and exasperated movers that looked ready to go home. "Oh hi honey, I ordered some breakfast that should be here in about thirty minutes. Go get dressed and we'll make up a game plan for today, alright?" Sana's mom strode over to give her daughter a loving, good morning kiss on the forehead and reminded her to brush her hair before returning to the movers. 

Sana went to the bathroom and stared at her disheveled appearance in the mirror for a full minute before doing anything else. She chastised herself for not removing her makeup last night and regarded her messy mop of hair in agreeance with her mother. Relieved from brief cleansing duties, she walked back to her room to choose an outfit. Normally she liked to glide her hand along a row of clothes, feeling the different fabrics beneath her fingertips, and rejoicing in the subtle pleasure that brought her. But since she wasn't unpacked, Sana chose her go-to 'comfy yet cute' outfit: wide cargo pants and a cute tee with 'carpe diem' on it, finished off with a striped belt and pink crocs (she would change those later).

Her mom was already waiting for her at the dining table with inviting cartons of food, spread across the surface. Sana's stomach grumbled as she assessed the menu: tangsuyuk and seolleongtang with smaller amounts of kimchi and ramen on the side. She took a seat and dove in, eyes scanning for her next bite as she chewed cutely. 

"Your father's in town consulting with someone or something for his job, I don't know. He promised he'll be back by dinner," Ms. Minatozaki said curtly. She poked and prodded a piece of tangsuyuk around as she listened to the scattering crunch it made. Sana stopped chewing and worriedly looked up at her mother, nodding after a moment. 

"Mom, this is really good! You picked a good restaurant. Here, try it," Sana picked up a nicely-sized piece of tangsuyuk and dipped it in its accompanying sauce, just the way her mom liked it, and made an 'ah' motion with her mouth. Ms. Minatozaki peered back at her daughter's bright, warm eyes and gratefully smiled in return, accepting the food with an exaggerated show of delight at the taste. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Well, we need to head over to your new school and get the transfer papers in order. You should be able to start tomorrow. Then after I need to run around town to make sure we have internet by next week." Ms. Minatozaki scanned over a checklist on her phone. "Maybe find a gardener, too. I could drop you off downtown and pick you up when I'm done if you want to explore?"

"Yea, that'd be fun!" Sana nodded excitedly. "I'll try to look for volunteer work or a part-time job too."

They finished their meal in silence until the movers trailed back in after their lunch break and Ms. Minatozaki started instructing them where to place the entertainment center. 

\----------

Zeoville turned out to be less of a town and more like an intersection of two main streets with various divergent roads into neighborhoods or strip malls. The town had one school district and boasted a population of just under 5000 people. 

Sana stared at the half reflection-half receding buildings in the side mirror as they drove to Zeoville High and passed by a small array of the necessary stores in even the tiniest of towns. Sana noted the same surname on a few of them in close succession, although this car ride was a lot shorter than their previous one. 

Arriving at the school, Sana decided to wander around the small, but beautiful campus as her mom went to the office. She noted the vast greenery and red-brick buildings as she sat on a bench in the far-end of campus. The spot was a lucky find: a corner-tucked nook where only a few students strolled by on their way to class and an even smaller amount either prohibitively smoking or doing last night's homework on nearby benches. Sana felt a pair of eyes on her but could not identify the source. 

After a few minutes of idling on her phone, a shadowy figure appeared in front of her and beige sneakers with a gum sole stepped into view. Sana followed the shoes up to the cuffed light blue jeans up to the lavender ribbed crop top up to the soft black ends of mid-length hair up to the cute, smiling shy face of another Japanese girl. 

"Hi, I'm Momo." Momo waved tepidly as her voice squeaked and wavered. "I like your keychain." Momo pointed to the pink unidentifiable animal plushie and then to the same, slightly larger mystery animal dangling off her backpack.

Sana tilted her head and amusedly replied, "Took you a little while to come up to me." Momo's complementary lavender blush mingled with the red that arose as she cast her eyes down. "Are you a student here?"

"Yea, I'm actually the keyholder!" Momo said proudly, playing with her backpack straps and hopping a little. "I make sure all the doors are locked after the club meetings are over."

"They let you do that?" Sana marvelled.

"Well, no, but my dad's the janitor and I have to wait for him to finish before we can go home, so he lets me help and I get to steal all the snacks the clubs use to lure people to sign up," Momo uttered cheekily. 

Sana felt like she and Momo shared a similar wavelength as a cozy familiarity enveloped her, and smiled back. "That's cool."

"You're a transfer, right? I've never seen you around before." 

"Yeah, I should start tomorrow. Junior." Sana's neck was starting to hurt from the incline as her eyes squinted against the sun. 

"Hey, me too! We'll definitely have some classes together." The bell rang to indicate that lunch was over as the small congregation of people around them started gathering their things. "I have to get to class but I'll probably see you around tomorrow!" Momo apologetically waved goodbye and hastily rounded the corner to her next class. Someone was looking at her but Momo didn't notice. 

\----------

Sana glanced at the outdated sign indicating that this strip mall was the best, or rather the better of two: 'Im #1 Plaza.' Sana quirked at the cheesiness, finding it fitting for this quaint town. She wandered around the minuscule line-up of stores, eying the residents as they expressed greetings or ignored each other, all in familiar recognition. Sana felt like a stranger as she stepped on the pristine sidewalk, a stark contrast to the gum-laden and trash-littered ones in her old city. Even the garbage can to her right looked immaculate as she regarded the attached ash tray with only two cigarette butts and zero metal spoons. 

Through the steeping glass windows, Sana spotted two women with child-carriers conversing with tired eyes, then a shopkeeper aiding an elderly man in a wheelchair, then the back of a girl with a blonde bob trying to reach something on the top shelf, then two children chasing each other around a maze of clothing racks. She stopped when she reached a sectioned wall of posters and advertisements. 'Zeoville High Spookfest / Dance & Games / Who will be crowned this year's Supernatural Soulmates?' - '30% off shirts and shorts through October 31st!' - 'Halloween Hell Help Wanted' among various others. Sana grabbed a business card for Legacy Law Firm and a job application. After walking a few steps, Sana returned and ripped off the paper tine of a rake with 'Green Gary's' information. 

Ms. Minatozaki called then, and they drove home with her relaying that her husband would be out late and to 'not wait up for him' and Sana attempting to cheer her up with the paper tine of a gardener's number. 

\----------

Zeoville High consisted of 350 students, including the building for junior high kids and special education. Sana meandered around the open hallways, wondering if her mom was to blame for her lack of direction. The hallway was empty and despite Sana's slight panic at not being able to locate her first class, the baby hairs on her nape arose as she again felt someone staring at her. She examined her entire surroundings in confusion, like a revolving world globe, but could not identify the source.

"Hey, need help?" Sana whipped around to find a grinning Momo, this time dressed in a sort of punk attire, with classic Doc Martens and non-prescription black-rimmed circle glasses. The pink plushie still shone brightly, though. 

"Oh my god, can you like, maybe step harder or something so I know you're coming?" Sana was going through that 'first day fret' with nearly teetering books. 

Momo did that endearingly awkward smile again as she apologized and made a show of stomping the hard sole of her boots. 

Sana was a little stupefied at the display of charm but soon recovered in a chuckle. "Um, do you know where Mrs. Jameson teaches Composition III?"

"Yeah, I have that class too!" Momo beamed. "Come on, we can walk together." Sana linked their arms as they tramped along the corridor, Momo blushing at the contact and making an even greater effort to inflate the weight of her strides. Sana grinned and synchronized their legs as they ambled on their mission. The bell rang mid-strut, inducing an accelerated pace as the two tardy girls giggled until Room 109. 

"Ah, Miss Hirai, so glad you could join us," Mrs. Jameson quipped, noticing a timorous Sana behind her. "And making trouble for the new student as well, I see." Mrs. Jameson was actually very sweet on Momo after hours, gifting her with the lollipops she usually reserved for her 'cheat treats.' 

Momo's customary expression returned as the teacher waved her off to her assigned seat. "Miss.. Minatozaki, is it?" Sana shyly nodded. "Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"

Sana traipsed to the front of the classroom, doing a full 90-degree bow as the blood and nervousness pooled to the top of her head. "Hello, my name is Minatozaki Sana. I'm a transfer student and my blood type is B. Please treat me well!" Sana performed another smaller, speedier bow as her classmates curiously studied the newcomer. One student's eyes slightly widened in recognition, but Sana didn't notice.

Mrs. Jameson elegantly smiled and gestured toward an empty seat in the vaguely middle-left vicinity. "Have a seat next to Miss Yu, please."

Sana followed the instruction and started pulling out the necessary supplies both specific to the course and for overarching academia. She slammed 'Hollworth Hangul Speech & Composition, 4th Edition' a little too forcefully and sheepishly mumbled an apology as a few students peered at her. In the flurry, her pen clumsily rolled off the wayside of the desk and Sana despondently eyed the instrument as it journeyed to the far end of the classroom. That was her only pen; she stared at it in disbelief for a few moments before peripherally seeing a different, fancier pen being gently placed in the non-precarious spine of her textbook. 

Bare nails and kind eyes embodied the owner as a warm smile stretched over her small face and her eyes shown a glint of amusement. "I'm gonna need that back though; it's my only other one." 

Sana gazed back at the stranger with a dipped jaw, somewhat bewildered by the generosity, before returning to the small text in a randomly opened page of the heavy hardback before her. She delicately grasped the thin body of the sketch marker as a pink hue saturated her cheeks and she regarded a tiny, makeshift engraving (probably from a box cutter) bestowing proprietorship to 'YJY.' She stared in awe at the ultra-fine tip and did her best to practice a light hand as the smooth glide fondly brought forth old memories of her calligraphy studies. She felt that feeling again, that goosebumps feeling, but she ignored it this time in the disregard that it was just her imagination. 

"Alright class, the prompt for this research paper is nonspecific. Meaning, you can choose whatever topic you want - just keep it PG-13. I'm looking at you, Mister Ross." Mrs. Jameson pointedly glanced at a short, creepy-looking boy in the corner, inducing a string of chuckles as he sank into his chair. "7 pages, MLA format. Due in 3 weeks. Remember to cite your sources and keep it at least somewhat literary. Class is dismissed."

The bell wouldn't ring for another five minutes, so the students either idled around the classroom chatting amongst themselves or lounged outdoors until their next responsibility. Momo sauntered up to Sana's seat, expressing a hello before addressing the beautiful pen-owner next door. "Yah, Yu Jeongyeon, why do you get to sit next to the cute new girl and not me?" Momo playfully shoved Jeongyeon's shoulder as Jeongyeon's body swayed back and she massaged it in faux pain. 

"Not my fault Suzy finally moved up a grade!" This side of Jeongyeon, louder but equally charming, raised a quirk in Sana's lips and an eye roll from Momo.

"Have a topic in mind for the research paper yet, Sana?" Momo asked, genuinely interested.

Sana inclined her head in musing as her eyes roamed around, grazing upon Jeongyeon's hand gently nestled atop her desk and smiling at their introduction. "I think.. I'm gonna write about hands."

Jeongyeon and Momo both rose an eyebrow in puzzlement. "I know she said nonspecific, but that's pretty vague, Sana," Momo teased. 

"Well, hands can be life or death in a lot of situations," Sana pointed out, briefly casting her eyes down. "Makes me want to be a hand specialist or something."

Momo started nodding in a sort of exponential pattern as she absorbed the insight. "Wow.. that's deep."

Sana was bashful, observing Jeongyeon's pen still firmly but tenderly cradled in her hand, then moving her view back to Jeongyeon's hands, finding them in a fidgety motion.

"I have a worker's hands," Jeongyeon disclosed, embarrassingly rubbing them.

Sana furrowed her brows, hesitating to respond accordingly. "I think that's admirable." Jeongyeon paused and stared at her in confoundment. "I mean, I think they're beautiful too. But um," Sana lightly waved Jeongyeon's sketch marker in the air, "I take it you draw? Creating art is an amazing gift for people. And even manual labor exhibits hard work and dedication. So.. yeah. I think you're admirable." Sana blushed wildly at the unexpected speech and compliment. "Your hands, I mean."

A minute of silence followed as a flabbergasted Jeongyeon struggled to formulate a response and an oblivious, mesmerized Momo stared at Sana in awe of her articulation. The bell finally rung as the remainder of students ambled out and Momo thieved a lollipop from Mrs. Jameson's desk before hollering a 'see you in P.E.!' over the threshold.

Jeongyeon and Sana snickered at Momo's antics, silently thanking the bell for alleviating the prior tension. "How does she know we'll have P.E. together?" Sana wondered.

"Oh, since the school is so small, some teachers double up on whatever course they can remedially teach, disregarding certification and multiplying the pay." Jeongyeon shrugged. "So basically everyone in this class shares the other Mrs. Jameson class, more or less. You'll get to see her in her signature neon body suit," Jeongyeon quipped, playfully knocking an elbow into Sana's midriff. 

Sana's eyes and nostrils contorted as the visualized picture arose. "So you'll be there too?" Sana deduced, inadvertently walking beside the other girl in negligence of her next class.

"Ah, no I actually leave school early for work." Jeongyeon rubbed her nape as a rouge tinted her cheek. 

Sana deliberately kept a straight face. "Oh, I've actually been looking for a job. I think that halloween store is hiring?" Unbeknownst to them, the rest of the students had mostly dispersed into their respective classrooms by now as the bell prepared to ring in a minute. 

"That's where I work!" Jeongyeon hopped out of excitement, beaming a genuine, nose-crinkly smile. "I can definitely get you a job, I could really use the help."

"Oh, I think I saw you yesterday," noting Jeongyeon's identical hair to the girl she saw during her escapade at Zeoville's #1 plaza. "Don't you have other coworkers?" Sana worried.

"Technically the manager is supposed to be there to assist and overlook everything, but since he's the owner’s son he gets away with just slacking around, probably watching porn in the back office, while I end up doing all the managerial duties without getting managerial pay." Jeongyeon sighed in longstanding resignation.

Sana's lips pursed in second hand rage as she prepared to unleash a very professional tantrum. Unfortunately, a reverberating beep signaled the start of class as Sana's predicament finally dawned on her. 

"Crap crap crap crap crap, do you know where uhhh," Sana frantically gripped her fourfold paper schedule (which had somehow already accumulated three small rips), "Room 217 is?"

Jeongyeon chuckled at the panicked girl and hooked a thumb at the heavy wooden door directly behind her, boldly displaying "Room 217 | Mr. Park" as the keen teacher silently reprimanded them with a single eye through the rectangular glass window. Sana released a breath of relief despite the impending beratement, hoping Mr. Park would grant her a bit of clearance as a new student, especially as one who had a tendency to walk into a pole in front of them as they looked everywhere else.

Sana underwent the same introduction process again, fractionally regarding vaguely similar faces and entirely new ones (although they still somewhat blended together), but this time Mr. Park bequeathed the burden of sharing 'one fun or unique fact.' Sana was convinced it was a punishment and stared blankly for a while before eventually answering 'I sleepwalk sometimes' which actually astonished a few people. 

Jeongyeon and Sana spent the entire class period exchanging more 'fun facts', either about themselves or just general and/or arbitrary knowledge, much to the dismay of the prissy student between them. They sometimes drew little pictures too, although Jeongyeon's were far more advanced but Sana's simple attempts were adorable in their own right and generated those sincere smiles from Jeongyeon again. They parted ways afterward for different classes, but Jeongyeon drew her a mini comprehendable map and waved off the return of the pen for Sana 'needs it through the rest of the day' with a casual, verbal contract of Sana visiting the Halloween store after school.

\----------

Raised veterans of Zeoville would have ran away in horror at even a simple public bathroom in Sana's old city, she thought as she ogled the bathroom stall she was currently occupying. In a strange way, she somewhat missed the grotesquely drawn penises and public slander-lipstick smearing of the walls because the lack thereof was just unsettling and made her feel like even more of an outsider. P.E. was going to start soon as she heard a muffled familiar voice declare a final warning call before attendance counts but she also saw the bottom of unfamiliar neon-pink tights, deepening that unsettled feeling. 

Momo met her outside the locker room as Mrs. Jameson lazily called for laps, unspecifying any measure of speed or amount as the students did as they were told, seemingly familiarized with the offhand approach. Momo and Sana started off with a leisurely stroll before a whistle blew which everyone but Sana knew signaled another increment in pace. They were at a brisk walk now as the conversation waned in concurrence with every escalation. At the end of class, which was also the end of school, Sana exited the locker room gulping down a bottle of water and subtly sniffing herself to find a stiff-looking Momo waiting for her. 

"Oh hey, thought you'd be off stealing food by now," Sana pleasantly jested. "Gotta fill up with nutrients after all that." 

Momo awkwardly laughed and incoherently fumbled over her words for a bit before stuttering out, "Do you- um, have- have you heard of the spookfest?"

Sana felt a knowing fear creep up her spine. "Yeah, I saw a poster for it," Sana answered, deliberately refraining from asking why.

"Wou-wou-would you want to maybe go with me?" Momo prayed that Sana wouldn't think she had a speech impediment as she was a step away from dissolving. Sana parted her lips for a friendly decline, but Momo added, "It's on November 1st." She continued to ramble about the school being surprisingly considerate of any pre-planned Halloween activities, but Sana had already entered a new yet old state of cognizance. Something hit her at the pit of her entire being, deeply and agonizingly, like a twisting serrated knife. Sana wanted to scream. But instead she planted a plastic smile on her face and said 'yes' because it didn't matter anyway, in the end.

\----------

Jeongyeon flipped up the light switch in her home on the outskirts of town, generally reserved for senior homes and the like. An old fashioned decor came into view under the dim, uninviting yellow lighting. There were decades-old furniture on the brown shag carpet that might even be considered antique, thus either worth nothing or worth a lot - but they were all heavy in weight and memories. A stale, occasionally medicinal smell filled her nostrils since the windows hadn't been opened in years and only the scent of unhealthy internal air circulated as only the door opened and closed by Jeongyeon's hand. Repeated notices of late payments laid on the counter as Jeongyeon scratched her head and divided them into three categories: immediate, nonessential, ignore in deluded hope that it goes away. She opened the envelope from the Social Security Administration, which contained a disability check that would soon convert to a retirement check, although all that meant was more paperwork and an unchanging dollar amount. 

Moving down the hallway to the master bedroom, Jeongyeon cautiously turned the knob and slightly pushed the door open. Her grandma was watching a daytime drama on her television with the curtains half open so the natural light pervaded the room into seeming a bit healthier. Jeongyeon had installed remote-controlled curtains last year for her birthday, much to the delight of her grandmother. 

"Hey grandma, how ya feeling today?" Jeongyeon walked in and checked the parameters of the bed, ensuring no legs had cracked and fallen in her absence. She also checked all of the remotes: for the curtains, the light, the bed, to ensure they were all working properly and wondered if the batteries needed changing soon. Her grandma either wouldn't notice or pretended not to. 

"These two love each other, but they can't be together. It's so sad." Grandma Yu shook her head, pointing to two characters on the TV. Jeongyeon pecked her on the forehead and removed the cloth bedpad from underneath her body, momentarily replacing it with a steel bedpan. "How was your day at school?"

"There's a new girl in town; she's gonna come work with me at the store," Jeongyeon replied, gently wiping down her grandmother's skin with a warm, wet cloth, noting that a deep clean was needed that weekend. 

"Oh, that's wonderful honey. I'm always worried about you working there by yourself."

Jeongyeon checked the archaic clock on the wall, remarking that she needed to leave in a few minutes. Her room was adjacent to her grandmother's but about 3/4ths its size, although its atmosphere was a lot more pleasant as it was constantly filled with the scent of sweet candles and its walls were painted a pretty shade of green. A simple wooden desk was tucked in the corner with an old laptop and spotlight lamp atop it for detailed work, while an old family photo and candle of the week laid on the attached top shelf. A large bunch of crumpled papers piled in the steel-wired wastecan between her desk and her perfectly made bed. She hurriedly threw her backpack onto her baby blue comforter, deforming its bird design, and quickly changed into her work uniform, transferring her sketchbook into a smaller bag along with other non-school related necessities. Checking on her grandma one last time with a goodbye peck and a returned 'have a good day at work,' she departed on her bike to Halloween Hell. 

\----------

Sana plodded underneath the overhang of Zeoville's #1 plaza as she passed by that same garbage can with the same cigarette butts, only these were recently discarded and placed in marginally different areas of the ash tray. Sana wondered which of the regulars here were the smoking buddies as she rounded the building to call for a consultation. Entering the store, she found Jeongyeon in the same predicament as the first instance she saw her, but this time she felt deeply compelled to laugh as she got a close peek at some adorable melon undies. She wondered if the owner was cheap enough to not purchase a step ladder for their single, hard working employee.

"You look taller up close." Sana's steps were quiet but she secretly hoped a scream would surface, however she also failed to take into consideration the very place she was standing in, the place Jeongyeon worked and spent a great deal of time in. 

"Nice try, but people try to scare me at least ten times a day." Jeongyeon finally managed to edge the box of various Ghibli masks over the rim of the top shelf into a hazardous, then firm grasp in her hand. "I indulge the kids, though. Can't crush their spirits." A light bulb went off in Jeongyeon, eliciting a very childish glint as her tone mutated into an obnoxious, character-like one. "Hey. Wanna hear a joke?"

Sana stared at Jeongyeon for a beat and wondered if she should indulge this child. "If you say 'that's the spirit' I'm stealing your pen." She decided not to. 

Jeongyeon whined impetulantly before receding into a pout and eventually returning to her usual demeanor and rolling her eyes. "That pen was expensive, you know."

Sana affectionately smiled, fondly responding, "I know. Thank you again." She dug in her bag for it and lifted it up to Jeongyeon's face at a focused view. "By the way.. you should uh," a blush threatened to surface, "wear an undershirt or something. Yeah."

Jeongyeon hastily grabbed the pen and immediately turned so Sana wouldn't witness the maddening red on her cheeks, but in her gesture of moving loose strands behind her ear, she unveiled the ruby tips of her ears. "We'll just need to input your information in the system, and then you'll be good to go." Jeongyeon's professional voice arose instinctually and to her gratitude, eliminated all signs of embarrassment.

After the standard new hire procedure was followed, Jeongyeon gave Sana an extensive tour around the small shop, unnecessarily noting all the nooks people liked to stuff their gum into and the perk of being able to try on unworn costumes.

"Yea, I would never try on a face mask that's been used before," Jeongyeon relayed, to which Sana nodded in agreement as she closely listened to Jeongyeon's makeshift verbal manual, mentally trying to separate and focus on the essential notes, "that's just unhygienic."

A lone fracas was heard as an intensely bedraggled man recklessly pushed open the door. Jeongyeon and Sana stood frozen in fear at the sight, although the latter was much more composed, whispering a 'stay calm' as they anticipated the man's next move. He had eyes that shone an impossible color combination that seemed to transform with every reflection of light. 

"You- you two- " he pointed at them with a heavy, scraggy-looking arm, "you look different.. but the same." Sana swallowed with disced eyes as Jeongyeon inched toward the red button underneath the counter. "But it's still there.. that connection," he stared at the empty space between them, "it's so beautiful." His eyes changed to a deeply pigmented dark red as he set off in a raving sprint toward them. 

Jeongyeon immediately raced to the counter, slamming the button and yelling "Sana, run!" to which Sana marginally dodged the deranged arms of the man and skirted along the border of the store until she reached not the entrance, but an incredulous Jeongyeon. "What are you doing?!"

"You think I'm just going to leave without you!" Sana was equally baffled as they both fought a mini battle with their eyes despite the ensuing chaos in front of them.

Luckily the security guard who was supposed to be manning the door front came back from his smoke break at the alert and wrestled with the haggard man until he was finally subdued. "Are you girls alright?" 

Jeongyeon and Sana stared at him blankly with mutually doed eyes and mouths ajar. Jeongyeon came to first as she hoisted herself up from her crouch on the floor, using a hand on her knee to steady herself and gently grasping Sana's arm to bring her back to level. "Yeah, thanks Alex." She surveyed the man, now handcuffed with downcast eyes. "Who is he?" she silently mouthed.

Alex shrugged, vocally responding, "Crazies always come out this time of year," before shoving the man to the entrance and calling the disturbance in to the local police department.

The only evidence of the debacle was the dirty scuff of a size 13 shoe. Jeongyeon stared at it for a while and decided to close the shop early that night. She and Sana parted ways with a promise to be careful and 'text me when you get home.'

\----------

Momo was bopping her head to Katy Perry and munching on a bag of random chips left from the astrology club when a bout of inspiration self-actualized. She sloppily licked her fingers clean before hastily drawing up a blank word document. 

Concurrently, Sana returned home to find her mom scraping off an untouched plate into the trash and passing by a self-made poster of the Lady Monsters with a tacked on picture of her mom at the band's first concert. 

Momo typed 'The One Who Got Away (Forensics Edition)' and slightly enlarged the width of all four margins of the paper. She leaned back with a smug expression and cackled, moving to begin the imminent ten-tabbed window for her research paper.

Sana carefully took out her special box from its indiscreet hiding place, fingers delicately but firmly grasping the corners, slightly rattling the contents inside. She unlocked the box and traced her fingers over the tool wrapped around the ballerina like a taunting tetris piece.

Momo searched for in-state unsolved cases as a plethora of results instantaneously appeared on her screen. She scrolled down the webpage, giving a cursory glance to any title that seemed interesting. 

Sana picked up the tool and studied it closer, feeling the weight of it in her hand and forcing herself to familiarize with the hard handle and smooth steel. She did this every night to remind herself, because sometimes, like today, she forgot.

Momo's jaw dipped and a gasp escaped her lips, causing the chip she had been chewing on to fall onto the blanket. A headline glared back at her.

Sana forgot because she wanted to. Sometimes she flipped over the photograph placed underneath and stared at it for a while, but not tonight.

"MINATOZAKI SANA PRIME SUSPECT FOR DEATH OF MINATOZAKI RIN"

Sana wound up the lever on the side and gazed at the ballerina as she twirled and twirled clockwise, getting ready to dance her mini stage and perform her song.


	2. the space between is what tears us apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry about the wait >.<

the space between is what tears us apart

 

 

  
_"Are you sure about this?" Rin asked, tenderly brushing his thumbs over the open palms of the love of his life. They were standing outside of a small church they stumbled upon on what was originally a usual rendezvous._

_"Yes." Ara gazed back at him with ardent eyes, breathing out her words with conviction. "I love you so much." Rin touched his forehead with hers as they smiled into a gentle kiss. He led her into the open doors of the chapel, followed by an elderly couple they fortuitously met on a local trail of the country town they frequently used as a meetup spot._

_The chapel housed a max occupancy of 50 people. There were chipped wooden benches on either side of the room and a raised pedestal that served as the floor at the forefront, with a large, steeping wooden cross that nearly reached the ceiling in the dead center of the back wall. A red, ornamental rug ran down the small stair of the pedestal all the way to the front arching door. An officiant was waiting for them, passing the time by sweeping in between the rows of seats._

_"But what about- " Ara started, eyebrows furrowing._

_"Shh, don't worry about them. This is about you and me," Rin reassured her, kissing away her concerns with a deep pressing of lips to her forehead. The heavy door creaked as he shut it closed._

_"Ready?" The officiant kindly smiled at them, enclosing his hands over the handle of the broom. He waited a few seconds as they walked up to him with tightly clasped hands before leading the way to the altar._

_The elderly couple stayed back, choosing to sit on a bench the second row from the door. They had been taking a leisurely stroll down the mountainside, recounting their days to each other and watching the sunset beyond the horizon, when they spotted two figures in the distance frantically running up to them with waved hands and an 'excuse me, could you help us please?' And who were they to deny true love?_

_Rin and Ara stood facing each other at the front of the altar as the officiant commenced the opening words. They were donning a rented suit and dress that the church offered for elopements or couples who couldn't afford the expensive attire. They tended to get many of the former as the small town was situated near a major city and crossed a train station. The dress was a size too big for Ara as the original pristine color was now a dusty off-white from its time hanging in the closet, and the doilies of the veil had acquired unintentional holes throughout the years._

_"You look beautiful." Rin gazed at Ara with the utmost love and affection as he noted her glowing eyes brimming with tears and his own threatening to fall. His suit was comically large and old-fashioned as the stiff shoulder pads overflowed into his upper arms and his trousers bunched staggeringly over the worn dress shoes._

_"You too," Ara returned as she let out a shaky breath. A tear managed to sneak out of her left eye as they chuckled and he responded with a 'thank you.'_

_"Please exchange your vows," the officiant requested, motioning for Ara to begin._

_Ara fumbled for a bit, eyes scattering around as she attempted to construct impromptu vows. Rin gently squeezed her hands, urging her to focus her eyes on his. He had always been a kind of panacea for her ailments, and with a single look he erased all of her worries as her expression relaxed and she took a deep breath before starting._

_"I, Lee Ara, choose you, Minatozaki Rin, to be my partner, my best friend, my lover, my soulmate." Ara whimpered the end and choked back a sob as Rin's lips quivered. "To love and cherish you, to always stand by your side, to sacrifice myself and put your needs above mine." Ara took a final deep breath before ending her vow. "Until beyond death, I'm yours."_

_Rin temporarily released his hold of her right hand as he wiped away a tear, only to have one fall from his other tearduct. His nostrils flared as he widened his reddened eyes and replaced his hand to begin. "Um, I- I, Minatozaki Rin, choose you, Lee Ara, to be my partner, my wife; to be the one I love most in this world, to be my deepest connection. To be my soulmate." He enunciated the end. "Until beyond death, I'm yours." They gazed lovingly at each other and choked back another sob._

_"May I have your rings, please?" the officiant asked._

_Rin removed a velvet ring box, slightly enlarged for two, from his blazer pocket as Ara looked at him confusedly. "I was going to give it to you before I- " he didn't finish the sentence, but Ara nodded. Rin carefully placed the box onto the officiant's outstretched hand, opening it to reveal two simple silver bands with their respective engraved initials._

_"Repeat after me, please," the officiant stated, looking at Rin._

_"With this ring, I commit my heart and soul to you. It is a symbol of my entire love for you; a love that transcends all our yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows. I love you with all that I have and all that I am." Rin repeated and delicately slid the ring onto Ara's finger._

_Ara underwent the same dialogue, ignoring the slight indent on Rin's finger as she glided his ring on._

_"By the authority vested in me by the constitution and the laws of this state, it is my honor to now pronounce you husband and wife." Ara and Rin cried freely as they reveled in the moment._

_"You may kiss."_

\----------

Ms. Minatozaki parked haphazardly in the lot of Im Grocery, ignoring the glares of onlookers as she unabashedly exited the car with the prominent white line running down the center. Sana shut her door quietly and apologetically bowed to the residents who had all craned their necks from the screech, whether they were red-faced from the 20lbs of groceries they were lugging or just passively swaying their key lanyard on the way in. Sana subtly scolded her mom as she linked their arms and hefted a cart carelessly discarded on a nearby wheel stop. A pleasant ding and a robotic woman's voice announcing 'welcome' was heard as they passed the threshold of the automated sliding door. A clothed table of yesterday morning's pastries and various items on sale adorned the entrance as the two gave it a cursory glance before making their way down the aisle, Sana throwing a brief look back at the '2/1pk of aloe jelly.'

Im Grocery was one of Zeoville's two supermarkets, although some keen residents wondered why since both bought their products from the same wholesaler; they were just packaged in opposing colors with Im Grocery pricing their merchandise slightly higher. Sana and her mom ambled down the wide, main aisle, pursing their lips as they scanned through the rows and rows of packaged food, regarding the produce section on the horizon and getting a faint waft of the meat & seafood section on the other end of the store.

"What would you like for dinner, honey?" Ms. Minatozaki hummed. "Maybe we'll have a steak night; it's your dad's favorite."

"Anything's fine with me.. " Sana trailed off as her feet moved of their own accord toward the dedicated snack section. "I'll meet you at the front!" She caught a whiff of a citrus-y warm musk perfume she swore she's smelled in the locker room before and the fleeting vision of black hair rounding the corner.

"Sana, right?" Sana turned to see a short, stocky middle-aged woman restocking the choco pies. "Your mom always talks about you," the woman smiled sweetly. "You're just as beautiful as she says." Sana blushed and bowed as the woman remarked about having never seen her father.

Sana hesitated. "Umm, I think my mom's having trouble adjusting. To the move." Her frame stiffened as a wooden arm rubbed her nape.

The woman's eyebrows knitted as she nodded before slipping a hand into her uniform vest pocket and pulling out a small slip of paper. "The restaurant next door is really good," the woman handed her a 'dinner for two' coupon. "Maybe your parents can have a night out together, y'know, some quality alone time." Sana nodded. "My name's Siyeon, by the way." Siyeon pointed a finger toward her name tag, oozing charm, before returning to work.

Sana quickly grabbed three vinegar candies and two packs of aloe jelly, before heading to the household section. She spent about thirty minutes crouched on the floor with various laundry detergents in a scent rotation under her nostrils, being conscientious of skin contact but inevitably spilling a dollop on the epoxy flooring, just missing the white sole of her own sneaker. Pulling out a tissue from her purse, she discreetly wiped the mess before heading toward the front, just evading the eyes of the dawdling manager.

"You won't be here, _again_? What about Sana?" Ms. Minatozaki spoke into her phone with hushed tones. "We're supposed to be a family," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as Sana exited the aisle a few feet away.

"Mom?" Sana approached with furrowed brows. "Who are you talking to?"

Ms. Minatozaki turned and immediately shoved the phone back into her purse, looking a bit frazzled. "Oh, um, well, your dad's boss is making him stay late so it looks like it's just us tonight." Ms. Minatozaki added a whispered 'again' to her reply. Sana nodded, familiar with the routine, swallowing her own disappointment. They headed toward the checkout area, Sana's arms still stocked with her bundle of snacks, unaware that the cart was already stocked with the same ones (Ms. Minatozaki had spotty memory sometimes, but she would never forget her daughter's favorite snacks). It was rush hour. The two stood with pursed lips and focused pupils as they set upon the task of choosing which line seemed the shortest.

Lane 1 had the largest amount of people, but most were buying a few small items or alcohol. The light for Lane 2 was turned off as the cashier had presumably gone on break, the 'LANE CLOSED' sign proudly displayed where the counter met the conveyor belt. Lane 3 seemed deceptively ordinary. Lane 4 had people comically switching lanes with indecisive eyes and mismatched feet turned in multiple directions as the mom in front redeemed about 4 coupons in a single transaction - Sana felt sorry for her kids. Sana and her mom had conflicting opinions as Sana remarked about having once read that one transaction lasted a minute but every item scanned was a mere few seconds, resulting in a vote for Lane 3. Ms. Minatozaki claimed that the lack of items must offset the length of each transaction and voted for Lane 1.

In an odd compromise, they settled for Lane 2, ignoring the puzzled looks from other shoppers as they indefinitely waited in the vacant section. Sana took it as an opportunity to contemplate the small area selected for exhibiting the popular chocolate bars and various mints and mini bottles of over-the-counter medicines, placing a finger to her mouth as her mind pondered the various options, finding her knees involuntarily bending to another crouch. Ms. Minatozaki peered at the magazines displaying the celebrity drama of the week, mainly failed marriages and bad paparazzi photos of stars grabbing some McDonalds. She wondered why the pain of strangers was a spectacle of entertainment for others.

In a glimpse of serendipity, just then the cashier returned from break as they all smiled cordially to each other. The middle-aged man's eyes shown a glint of _something_  when he looked at Ms. Minatozaki as Sana subtly glared at him, internally wishing he chewed on one of those gums on display. They emptied the humorously barren cart as Ms. Minatozaki noticed the magnitude of their six packs of aloe jelly and four packs of vinegar snacks. "Do we really need all this?" she chuckled, inducing a shrug and 'oops' from Sana. The cashier didn't give the items a second glance before proposing if Ms. Minatozaki would like to start a membership, resulting in a passive decline (she would soon choose the other grocery store for both the price front and lack of ogling cashiers). Exiting the market, Sana childishly glided the cart with one foot on the lower tray, much to either the amusement or chastisement of nearby elders. Her desire to use both feet was disheartened both by the lack of weight in the cart and her abundant weight as an adult. The misaligned left wheel didn't help as it constantly strayed to the side, producing grumbles from Sana and hearty laughs from her mother at the cute antics and youthful behavior from her daughter - they reminded her of better times.

As they piled the few bags into the trunk, Sana's memory clicked - she pulled the slip of paper out from her back pocket, presenting it to her mother with a soft smile. "Siyeon gave it to me. Maybe we can have dinner there tonight?" Ms. Minatozaki clapped in delight at their 'girls night out' as they quickly drove home to drop off the refrigerated or frozen perishables before returning to the restaurant. However, they failed to realize that setting the bags on the kitchen floor did not equal placing them in their respective cold compartments as they returned home that night to discolored raw steaks and melted containers of coconut ice cream.

\----------

Despite the abundance of mini chip bags and sometimes the odd clementine left from the various clubs, Momo still had her own specific taste as she jogged in place at the crosswalk in front of Im Grocery, a single earbud precariously dangling as it loosened every minute with additional sweat. She flipped off the trio of rowdy boys in the dusty Integra stopped at the red light, leering at her in full knowledge of her sexuality. One boy in particular was exceptionally boisterous with his provocations as his personal vendetta against her arose from their sloppy kiss in a game of truth or dare five years ago, promptly sparking Momo's epiphanous coming out the school day after. She eyed the red light with a snarl on her face, mentally trying to will it to change as she couldn't bear to glare at the old lady halfway across the crosswalk with the timer light indicating a '5 seconds left' and counting. Swallowing the vexing catcalls, Momo trotted over to the elder and aided her journey, unsure of whether to feel guilt or jubilation at her initially selfish act. She decided that regardless of intention, the resulting action was the same as she absorbed the appreciative smile and returned an awkward one.

Momo was _not_  one of the keen residents as she preferred Im Grocery due to its color scheme and the security guard manning the front she sometimes chatted with. The light pink decor and branding spoke to her as she thanked the locally prestigious owners and gleefully returned the 'welcome' to the automated woman's voice, basking in the air-conditioned building and inciting a few grins from passerbys as her genuine joy emanated through. She skipped down the aisle toward her destination, mentally imagining the array of candies and chips at her disposal, praying that her favorite chili-flavored crisps weren't sold out. Sometimes she enjoyed ambling around not buying anything ('window shopping' she told Jeongyeon once) as the quick respite and cute packaging fulfilled her, although the security guard nearly always gave her one of his chips as she exited the store anyway. This trip, she grabbed two bags as a treat, hearing a familiar voice nearby and panicking. Momo quickly proceeded to the next aisle and transformed into a clandestine koala-type body behind the tall shelf as she peered at the girl she had been avoiding entering the snack section.

Momo wasn't sure how to approach Sana after the revelation; it was not negative nor positive but just an ambiguous question mark in the air. After further research, she found that no arrest had been made due to 'unsubstantial evidence.' Momo wasn't one to pry and Sana never gave off any antagonistic vibes; it was just that question mark of whether this was a secret to herself, to Sana, to both? Momo exited the store in musing, texting Jeongyeon to meet her at 'that one pig statue by the river' for their weekly biking session.

\----------

"Ya know, now that you don't take P.E., you've gotten pudgy," Momo jested, poking Jeongyeon's belly and cooing at her pout thereafter. Jeongyeon's salacious right leg was propped up on the back of the bench, attempting to stretch in what was a picturesque awkward yet sexy pose as her proportions were placed on display. Momo was deftly reaching her toes as her toned abdomen incited random passerbys to pause their conversation regarding the eldest Im daughter's new Porsche purchase.

Jeongyeon snarled, retorting with "says the girl who bought two bags of chips on a workout session" to which Momo just shrugged and pointed at her protruding muscles, prompting an eye roll back.

"Oh, by the way," Momo removed a small plastic baggie of oven-baked banana chips from her pink fanny pack, "for your grandma."

Jeongyeon placed it into what was originally a water bottle holder on the side of her backpack (for some reason she kept actual water bottles in an unsecure section). "Thank your dad for me, grandma loves these."

Momo nodded. "You're always welcome to dinner at our place. My dad loves you and I'm sure Grandma Yu is probably sleeping around that time, anyway. How is she?"

"Yeah, but your dog hates me and I don't want to be a bother." Jeongyeon reached back for the baggie and stole a banana chip before replacing it. "She's alright, stuck on her dramas as usual. I wish she'd get a hobby or something, like knitting."

"Okay, Pudding might hate you, but Lucky and Petco love you and will defend your honor with the sharpest barks they can muster. Pudding probably thinks you remind her of herself." Jeongyeon's face blanked. "Because you're so cute when you pout, you melt into pudding." Momo pinched her cheek as Jeongyeon glared at her. "Alright, I'm sorry, I just want you to have some time to yourself. All you do is go to school, work, and take care of your grandma."

"What about this?" Jeongyeon gestured to their bikes and the surrounding area.

"This is me dragging you out for some exercise; it doesn't count. I miss when we would just chase each other around the slides, remember that? And our dads would- " Jeongyeon smiled wryly, shaking her head. "Anyway, I was taller than you then. Now you can just trap me with those legs of yours. What happened to that playground, anyway?"

"I think it got turned into that plaza." Jeongyeon squinted her eyes at the adjacent empty field, scanning the horizon.

Momo scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Figures. The Ims always have to have their way. Rich people stomping on the little people's dreams and memories."

"Okay, Lana. Shall we get going now?"

Momo nodded, swinging her leg over the slightly concave bike seat and taking a deep breath, throwing a side glance at Jeongyeon. They started their trek, feeling the night air revive their spirit as the slight wind blew back the tiny strands not affixed in their loose ponytails. After a few minutes of content silence passed, Momo pursed her lips and glimpsed at Jeongyeon's side profile. "How's Sana doing at work?"

Jeongyeon momentarily closed her eyes, filling her lungs with the crisp air as the slight scent of roasted sweet potatoes wafted its way into memory. "She's doing fine, although I've had to replace items on a shelf after she knocked them over." Jeongyeon chuckled. "Some weird guy came in on her first day, though. I was afraid it might've scared her off, but she seems to have adjusted alright now."

Momo let out a breath, eying the large red moon in front. "Have you ever met her family?"

"Uhh, I think her mom picked her up a few times, but she never came inside. She's pretty. Why?"

"Hm, no reason.. " Momo's sentence faded off as they continued their ride, sometimes laughing at the various situations they rode by - mostly drunkards doing drunk things. They stopped for a quick recess as they listened to a busker performing "Rainy Day" by Loveholic, wondering if he was going through a breakup. Maybe a divine power heard his cry because the next moment, a light drizzle started sprinkling as residents either rushed to cover their belongings or laughed at the irony. A sizzle was heard nearby as the sweet potato vendor sealed their portable oven and the busker's song was cut short. Jeongyeon and Momo threw their heads back and gleefully smiled in pure joy, beaming their teeth at each other with scrunched noses.

\----------

_Jeongyeon usually spent her lunches on the school's rooftop, gazing down at the people below. She liked to people watch, although she was never quite sure what that actually entailed. With a wellworn sketchbook in her lap and a piece of kimbap between her teeth, she started outlining an aerial view of a girl she'd never seen before. The crown of her head was pretty. Jeongyeon spent extra time working on the girl's little hair bow._

_The obnoxious ringing of her phone brought her out of focus as she paused, picking it up with a sigh. "I need you at the store," the man on the other end gruffly started._

_"I can't, I'm at school," Jeongyeon replied, rubbing her nape._

_"I don't care, do you want to lose your job?"_

_Jeongyeon sighed. "Alright, I'll be there in ten minutes." She hung up and pressed her palms against her closed eyelids, groaning._

_Placing her things in her bag, she traipsed down to the main office. "Sorry, Haeun, that idiot manager probably messed up the inventory and needs me. Can you let my teachers know that I'll be leaving earlier than usual?"_

_Haeun, the receptionist, smiled wryly. "This is the third time this month, Jeongie. I know you need to work but school is important too." She pulled up her email, beginning a cc. "How's your grandma?"_

_Jeongyeon shrugged. "You know there's nothing I can do. She's alright, she just started another drama, that popular one."_

_Haeun's face brightened. "Oh, the one about the star-crossed lovers? I love that one! It's so sweet," Haeun swooned. "Maybe I can have a love as deep as theirs one day."_

_"I'm sure you will." Jeongyeon pecked her on the cheek as Haeun slid two mini chocolates over her desk._

_"One's for your grandma. Have a good day at work," Haeun said, and it sounded like a prayer. She placed a warm, gentle hand on Jeongyeon's forearm._

_Jeongyeon missed her mom. She waved goodbye, immediately unwrapping the Kit Kat and discarding the wrapper in a nearby trash can._

\----------

"Okay, so I'm probably not going to have you do inventory just yet but since you're already getting people to buy what are usually leftover costumes, we can have you man the counter as well. I don't know if being a cashier is actually an upgrade, though."

Sana was happy to do any task and stood behind the till with a bright smile. "May I interest you in this fine chocolate bar?" She gestured toward the small container of Godiva bars on the counter, wiggling her brows. Jeongyeon chuckled and moved to arrange the bars in a neater stack, placing the most popular flavor in front.

It was after closing now as the bright light from the store still illuminated the front sidewalk, enough for Alex and the shopkeeper next door conversing over a cigarette. The manager was in the back, surprisingly working as he filled out an order form for restocks.

"Hey, we're out of those princess costumes and the supplier is away for a week." The manager marched in, looking frantic.

Jeongyeon's eyebrows met. "What? Those are our best sellers, they can't be." She strode over to their back room and dug through the looming stacks of boxes, breaking a small sweat. "Crap, and tomorrow's the weekend. We'll lose a lot of profit."

The manager scratched his head, pacing around the room. "Uhh, I think a different wholesaler still has some, but I'd have to drive over there."

"How long will that take?"

"About five hours, round trip." The manager winced.

Jeongyeon sighed, biting her nail. "Alright, well Sana and I will probably be asleep by then. Can you lock everything up when you get back?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll leave right now." He rushed toward the back, grabbing his keys and jingling them on the way out.

"I hope he'll be alright, he's never closed before." Sana gave her a confused look, to which Jeongyeon just shrugged back. "Let's just finish up with the till and then we can go home." Sana nodded, strolling back over to the counter. "Shouldn't take more than twenty minutes."

An hour later, the lesson finally concluded as Sana's whispered counts impeded with Jeongyeon's head counts and they had to restart several times as Sana apologized for her lack of restraint. The neighboring shopkeepers and maintenance workers had all gone home by now as they were the only store still lit up, facing an empty parking lot.

Jeongyeon's stomach grumbled. "Welp, time to go home. Maybe I'll order some golbaengi muchim hmm, or some bossam.. " She tilted her head in musing.

Sana gently smiled at her and wondered what her mom made for dinner, rubbing her own tummy.

"Alright, let's get outta here." Jeongyeon moved to open the back door, snagging a mini chocolate off the manager's little glass bowl on the way out, since the front had already been locked. However, she found that it too had already been locked.

"Shit." Jeongyeon grimaced. "I think the manager locked us in."

"What? Isn't there another set of keys or something?"

Jeongyeon shook her head apologetically. "He took the master key ring with him; all the keys are on it."

Sana stared for a beat like a fish out of the water. "So.. what do we do now?"

Jeongyeon shrugged. "Wait, I guess."

Sana slumped against the door frame, threading fingers through her hair as a chasm of worry started to form. "Well then."

\----------

Ms. Minatozaki stood in the Lane 1 checkout line at Im Grocery, keeping her head straight to subtly dismiss the faster-moving queues to her right. She gazed at the close-up unflattering photo of some A-list celebrity, cringing at their disheveled appearance and thinking it might've been a mug shot, yet also feeling in tune with them. A cough behind her signaled the now empty space in front of her as she stepped forward, feeling the strain of the shopping handbasket on her wrist augment. Sighing, she peeked a glance to her right and debated on changing lanes but ultimately decided to stay where she was. There was no use anyway - it was too late. Her eyes disced in horror as that repulsive cashier from before (the 'his breath was so gross!' man - Sana, at dinner, repeatedly) exchanged spots with the current cashier. Their eyes briefly met as he grinned creepily and she ducked her head, turning away toward the small section of miscellaneous items. The coughs behind her got increasingly louder and started emerging from multiple voices as she squeezed her eyes tightly, distancing from reality.

"Miss?.. Miss?" A large man's hand delicately grabbed her forearm, trying to get her attention.

"Don't touch me." Ms. Minatozaki whipped her arm away from the man, an icy glare on her face. "And it's Mrs." He gaped at her, stunned by her outburst. She glowered back for a moment before registering his verisimilitude and the scene at hand, apologizing profusely. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I don't know what I was thinking! I'm so, so sorry," she dropped her handbasket onto the floor with an abrupt thud and bowed repeatedly at the man, bringing her tacky palms together. He was still gawking at her (but for a different reason), bowing back and gesturing toward the awaiting cashier with a gentle, encouraging smile and 'it's okay.' She gave a gauche smile back, whispering a final apology and placing her basket of items on the conveyor belt.

"Rough day?" The creepy cashier, whose name she found to be Samsoon via transferring (avoiding) eye contact to his name tag, began scanning her items, vaguely organizing them in the bagging area.

"Um, something like that," she replied, preemptively pulling out her wallet and focusing on the card reader.

"How's your daughter?" He was leering down at her, nearly mis-scanning an item or two.

"She's fine." Ms. Minatozaki was curt, although she inadvertently commented a small 'excuse me, please' as she hastily turned around to lift a packet of mechanical pencils off its notch (Sana always seemed to lose hers).

"How's your husband?" He was nearly done, deliberately slowing his pace. "I've never seen him around."

"He's around. We're just.. " She hesitated, eying his lack of motion. "He's around."

Samsoon nodded, finally tallying the total. "That'll be 42,590 won."

Ms. Minatozaki inserted her credit card into the reader, dotting the i's in her signature with a heart and finishing it off with a large swoop.

"Well, if you're ever in need of company while he's off at work.. " He handed her the receipt with a smirk. "You know where to find me." The other customers in line cringed at his actions. Ms. Minatozaki haphazardly placed the items into her creme-colored 'don't break your own heart' tote bag as quickly as she could, skidding on her heel toward the exit and ignoring the faint 'have a nice day!'

\----------

"Can you call him again?" Jeongyeon and Sana were in the middle of a 'twenty questions' game, with Sana occasionally thinking of other possible methods of escaping the lock-in.

"He hasn't picked up the last five times and my phone's about to die." Jeongyeon's head was resting lazily against her arms as she laid them on the counter. An artificial skeleton toy rattled from the corner as it lit up and cackled crassly. Despite Jeongyeon and Sana's attempts to stop the alarm, all they managed to do was accidentally set it for every 30 minutes instead of every hour, unable to revert it back. "What's sleepwalking feel like?"

Sana was slouched against the front of the counter, moving around a tiny dust bunny with her index finger, admiring her manicurist's work. "It just feels like waking up in a different place, not knowing how you got there."

"Sounds scary."

"It can be. I usually just end up cuddling with my mom, though."

Jeongyeon chuckled, humming. "I get sleep paralysis. It used to be scary, but now I'm pretty much used to it."

Sana slowly nodded, blowing the dust bunny out of reach. "I don't really remember my dreams these days." She shifted her position, not getting any more comfortable. "What do you like to draw?"

Jeongyeon froze. "Landscapes, mostly. Sometimes pretty people, or interesting. Sometimes I take the train to the city for better scenery, but I haven't in a while because of my grandma."

Sana's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean your grandma?"

"She has muscular dystrophy which renders her immobile, so I take care of her. I hope she's doing alright, I'm usually home by now." Jeongyeon was on her second bitten nail as she pursed her lips in worry.

"Your parents can't help?"

"Uhh," Jeongyeon rubbed her nape. "My dad left when I was a kid and my mom died a year ago."

Sana paused, hefting herself up a second later, ignoring the objection from her legs. "I'm sorry, I didn't- " she wanted to reach out, hesitating. "I'm sorry."

Jeongyeon glanced up at Sana's woeful eyes, lightly shaking her head in melancholy, a small smile planted. "It's okay. I still have my grandma. And Momo."

Sana nodded, resting her elbows against the counter and slightly jutting her bottom out. "You seem close. How long have you known each other?"

"Since we were kids. After her mom left, we got a lot closer. I really appreciate- "

Sana's stomach grumbled, interrupting their conversation. Jeongyeon chuckled as Sana rubbed her tummy, embarrassed.

"Sorry, all we really have are those mini chocolates on the dummy's desk and some expired candy corn. He insists on keeping a regular stock even though they hardly get sold."

"Makes sense, they're pretty gross."

Jeongyeon nodded. "Indeed." A minute passed as they sat in comfortable silence. "You know what, I think he keeps a stash of chips on top of the cabinet." She strode over, finding her fingers just within reach of the brim. "Ughhh, it's too high, I can't reach it."

Sana walked over, adorably attempting to grip the small box, teetering on her tippy-toes.

Jeongyeon crossed her arms, holding back a smile. "You know I'm taller than you, right?"

Sana pouted. "Well, maybe my arms are a little longer."

Jeongyeon cocked an eyebrow.

Sana rolled her eyes. "You seriously don't have a ladder?" She huffed. "What kind of store doesn't have a ladder?" Jeongyeon just shrugged as Sana racked her brain. "How about you get on my shoulders?"

Jeongyeon entertained the idea. "Hmm, how about you get on mine? I think it'll be easier that way."

Sana nodded, waiting for Jeongyeon to hunch over. Her cheeks reddened as their personal spaces collided, breath shallow, but she focused on the mission at hand. Leaning on the cabinet for support, she managed to get a firm grasp on the box. "Got it."

Jeongyeon lowered her down carefully, until Sana squeaked in triumph.

They unraveled the box flaps to find not chips, but a stack of early 2000s porn magazines and a bottle of lube.

"Jesus." Sana grimaced, but Jeongyeon wasn't surprised, just disappointed at the lack of food. "Why doesn't he just go on the internet?" In realization, she immediately dropped the box onto the desk as she hurriedly rubbed her hands, trying to rid herself of both the germs and a sort of 'loser essence.'

Jeongyeon chuckled. "You realize we're gonna have to put that back."

Sana shuddered, groaning. "Great."

\----------

Momo strolled down the corridor, swinging the master key ring back and forth, idly glancing inside the doors as she passed them. Her dad was working late so she decided to take a walk to pass the time. The keys gave her a sense of responsibility, purpose, and a bit of power. Momo liked that. Suddenly, she heard a small sound behind her, like something metallic had fallen. Investigating, she found a plushie keychain on the concrete - the one she lost a week ago. The hairs on her nape rose as she felt a presence near her. She was afraid to look around, to move.

"Hey, kiddo." Momo whipped around, finding her dad coming out from the shadow of the hallway. "Ready to go home?"

Momo peered at him for a moment. "Did you find this?" She lifted the keychain up.

"Oh yea, it was on the floor in the locker room. Dunno how it got over here though." He scratched his head. "I could've sworn I put it on my cart.. " Momo's body was frozen, just shifting her eyes. "Is something the matter?"

Momo stayed still for another second before shaking herself out of her reverie. "Yeah, yeah. Everything's alright. Let's just get going."

Mr. Hirai nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Good, because I've got some trotters in the fridge just dying to be cooked."

Momo smiled up at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Did the banana chips get to Jeongyeon's grandma safely?"

"No."

Mr. Hirai looked at her with furrowed brows, opening his mouth to reprimand.

"I'm just kidding." Momo grinned cheekily, handing him back the master key ring.

He shook his head, albeit smiling. "You always did have your mother's weird sense of humor." He cast his eyes down.

Momo studied him, then poked him in the rib. "It wasn't your fault she left, you know."

He gave her a dry smile, with resigned eyes. "Yeah. It was." He gazed ahead, with a faraway look. Pensive, as if lost in a memory, with the slightest hint of regret.

Momo frowned, but said nothing else.

They ambled on, across the school yard, past the main office, down the nearly empty parking lot, until they reached their own car. Someone was watching them, but in their own ruminative minds, neither noticed.

\----------

A figure surreptitiously stalked down the hallway, balling their fists, enmity evident on their face. They kicked at the ground, at nothing, with a huff and a sneer. They came across the janitor's cart, spotting a head in the adjacent classroom, spotting a familiar plushie keychain, spotting a chance. They thieved it with an anxious glance toward the head and fled the scene.

Maybe fate was at work, because the figure stumbled across the owner of the keychain a few moments later. Half-hiding behind a wall, they watched intently, fingering the keychain, caressing it. As if it was a prize. But in an act of bungling, they watched, horrified, as the key chain fell to the floor, bouncing off the cement with a slight jingle. A quick glance up and a hasty retreat behind a pillar commenced.

They watched intently, but in fear this time, with flared nostrils and disced eyes. They nearly jumped at the sound of another voice, clasping a hand over their own mouth in lieu. They watched, and watched, and followed, and watched, until a heavy hand clasped onto their shoulder from behind and a robust voice sliced through the air.

"School hours are over. You're not allowed to be here."

The figure turned around, facing the principal.

The principal's stern look stilled, waning until a panicked one perforated through in recognition. "Oh, sir- I didn't realize." He bowed fully. "Please forgive me."

"It's fine," the figure said, walking away.

"Sa-say hi to- " The figure rounded the corner, out of sight. Left alone, the principal rubbed his nape and sighed (half the school ran on donations).

The figure pulled out their phone to send a text, attaching a picture of the keychain as well:

_'Boss, I've got a treat for you.'_

An immediate reply back:

_'Jesus fucking christ, you didn't have to do that.'_

The figure rolled their eyes, responding:

_'Don't act like you don't want it.'_

There was no reply this time.

\----------

"Who eats these, anyway?"

Jeongyeon and Sana were having a battle to see who could blow a piece of candy corn the furthest across the counter. The current winner was debatable, as most of Jeongyeon's were clustered together in the same vicinity, whereas all of Sana's were sporadically dispersed.

"Hey, that's a foul!" Jeongyeon pointed at the lone piece of candy littered at her feet.

"Okay, I'm pretty sure that's just called out of bounds," Sana remarked. "Plus, we never even made rules, so." Sana shrugged.

"Fine," Jeongyeon uttered, mumbling a 'i'm still winning anyway' under her breath. "And I don't know, it's mostly just old people who buy them or like, people who are too cheap to buy anything else," Jeongyeon said, answering her previous question. She placed another piece of candy corn on the counter, a little further than she should have from their designated starting line.

Sana caught it, but made no move to comment. "I think if a serial killer were to inject poison into them for a mass murder, the only people who would die would be the old ones and everyone would just think they died of old age."

Jeongyeon's piece ended up in the same mass as the rest as she sighed, chuckling at Sana's imaginative mind. "Morbid, but okay." She drawled out a long yawn as she stretched her arms above her head, ruffling her hair and shaking her body awake afterward. "Hey, I dare you to eat one."

Sana grimaced. "Ew, no. What if I have to get my stomach pumped or something? Are you just going to watch me suffer until- what's his name?"

"Hyunsoo."

"Until Hyunsoo gets here? My immune system isn't too great these days, you know."

"Well." Jeongyeon did a lunge against the epoxy flooring, grunting with the stretch. "We do have a first aid kit."

Sana deadpanned as Jeongyeon's ass nearly met the ground.

The fake skeleton crowed punctually as Sana glared at it, yelling out a "Can you shut up?!"

Jeongyeon looked on amusedly, quirking a lip at Sana's irked face. "A few hours without food and you're already talking to inanimate objects?" She stood up and started to do jumping jacks. "Might wanna get that checked out, could be early onset something."

Sana rolled her eyes and threw a candy corn at Jeongyeon, nearly quaking with laughter as it hit her directly on the forehead. Jeongyeon gaped at the deliriously red-faced girl in front of her as she retaliated with another piece of candy corn, missing Sana's face and instead landing in her tresses, which Jeongyeon found just as funny.

They were still doubled over in puffs and wheezes when the manager finally returned, apologizing profusely and promising a dinner 'on him.'

\----------

Jeongyeon raced home on her bike, slightly coughing from the exertion and haphazardly locking it to the rickety fence outside before sprinting indoors. She didn't bother to exchange her sneakers for her house slippers as she hastened to her grandmother's room, finding her in a deep slumber. The overflow of urine seeped through into the bedsheets, staining the already pale yellow with a darker pigment. A slight stench of feces coated the air as Jeongyeon was wracked with guilt. Tears welled up as she tried to remove the bedpad from under her grandmother without disturbing her sleep, pausing several times and succeeding somewhat (although the delays augmented the odor). She replaced it with the overnight bedpad as she stooped quietly into the bathroom, filling a basin with warm water and powering on the baby wipe heater. It was a second-hand recommendation from the time she eavesdropped on two mothers in the baby supplies aisle.

Then, Jeongyeon grabbed a handful of microfiber towels from the clean laundry pile and refilled the essential oil diffuser, adding in a drop of eucalyptus and chamomile. The effused mist mingled with the slight steam from the water, quelling the effluvium. She dimmed the light until it was as quiet as the mist, humming with an atmosphere that assuaged Jeongyeon's own heartbeat. Now, she could finally start.

First, the urgent case of the underside needed to be tended to immediately. Jeongyeon placed a folded towel under the upper back of her grandma to elevate and allow her easier access. She set upon cleaning the defecated area, calmly and meticulously rubbing away the debris, discarding the wipes in a small bin to be flushed afterward. Her brows knitted as the feeling of shame crept up again.

_Why had she been so stupid? She should have known not to trust him. And now look at what happened. Look at her._

Jeongyeon suppressed it as best as she could to focus on the task at hand, but still, a few sniffles escaped. Removing the towel and gently lowering her grandma back down, she took one of the microfiber cloths and submerged it in the basin, wringing it out until it was just damp afterward. She started at the toes, carefully, cleaning in between every crevice and extra carefully massaging the area, eying her grandma to check if she was still asleep.

Then, she wiped up the calves and kneecaps and thighs, dipping the towel back into the water often. The fleeting warmth it brought to her hand did nothing for the cold goosebumps on her arms, or the raised baby hairs on her nape, or the uncomfortable static buzzing everywhere else.

Once she reached the upper body, she replaced the towel with a new one. In her cleaning of the underbreasts and underarms, her grandma peeked an eye out at Jeongyeon, but closed them just as quickly.

Jeongyeon grabbed another, smaller cloth and began wiping at her grandma's hairline. Her touch was gentle but assured. Her grandma's hair was frail and brittle with age, which always made her insecure, but Jeongyeon always consoled her with a compliment and 'it's all the rage with kids these days!'

"Jeongyeon."

Jeongyeon, alarmed, looked up and was met with worn out, kind eyes. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Grandma Yu shook her head lightly, coughing a little. "I'm sorry, my manager accidentally locked us in so I couldn't get home until now," Jeongyeon rushed apologetically.

"Who's us?"

"Oh, me and Sana. She's the new girl I told you about," Jeongyeon answered, with a slight glint in her eye.

Grandma Yu nodded, pondering for a moment. "Sana.. Japanese, I presume?" Jeongyeon nodded. "Hmm, just like your mother.. " she mumbled. Jeongyeon gave her an inquisitive look, but was disregarded. "Well," Grandma Yu smiled gently, "I'm glad you have someone."

"Yeah, she's really sweet," Jeongyeon commented, feeling the towel in her hand cool down and realizing she still needed to finish. "Can you close your eyes for me, Grandma?" Grandma Yu obliged. "We need to get these eye boogers off." Jeongyeon dipped the towel into the now lukewarm water, wringing it out again and tenderly wiping away the crusted mucus along with an eyelash or two. "Do you want me to brush your hair tonight?"

Grandma Yu exhaled, responding with "I would love that."

Jeongyeon held the cloth underneath her grandma's nose. "Okay, blow for me?"

Once the sufficient bath was done, Jeongyeon disposed of the dirty water and wipes. She then clipped her grandma's toenails as the latter recounted the events in today's drama. Grandma Yu seemed to be hooked on the one with the star-crossed lovers, continuously remarking about how she'd like to 'rip the writer a new one.' Jeongyeon just concurred and nodded, half-listening as she tenderly brushed her grandma's hair until all of the tangles were straightened, and even a little after, past her own bedtime.

\----------

Momo sat perched atop a short brick wall that enclosed the girls' locker room from the rest of the world i.e. the snooping students not for nudity but for the comics of those ugly basketball shorts the school called gym wear. It was sunset after school. Sometimes when her dad waved her off for help, she liked to sit here and just, look at the sunset. It was beautiful from this small incline. Jeongyeon always tried to coerce her into accompanying the other to the rooftop, but that was much too fear-inducing for Momo. The looming aerial view just made her nauseous.

Momo was snacking on a bag of random chips the vegan club left (she didn't bother to look at the brand nor flavor). The club seemed to be standing on its last legs. Momo wondered if it was because the starcraft club ran at the same time, but then she saw the students actually in the starcraft club, and registered, no, it was just an entirely different group of people. She grimaced at the visual image and thought that at least the school got that one right.

A chip she was munching on broke in an unlucky place and fell straight to the ground, much to Momo's dismay. Honestly, in other circumstances, she would just pick it up and eat it without a care. However, perched atop this short brick wall, a sense of laziness emanated throughout her entire being, and all she could do, was stare in despair at the salty treat. A pout naturally formed on her lips. She was so focused on the piece that she didn't hear the incoming footsteps near her until she saw it being smooshed into several fragments. Her eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her lips as she transferred her eyes to the offender (it wasn't like she was going to eat it anyway, but still).

Staring back at her was the side view of a perfectly-shaped nose and soft, wispy hair tucked behind a delicate ear. Sana. She caught a whiff of the girl's sweet shampoo and felt a sense of calm radiate through her.

Sana strutted with purpose toward the locker room double doors. Placing a hand on the hefty metal handle, she pushed down only to be met with a short stop and a clanking of the lock. Sighing, she turned back around, resigned. She traipsed slowly with dropped shoulders to back where she came from.

Momo sat peering at her, conflicted with the idea of redress for her precious chip versus feeling pity. She ended up choosing the former, figuring a little jest might elevate Sana's dour mood and it'd be a double kill. Squinting her eyes, she focused on her target and aimed the little chip with one eye closed at Sana's head.

"Sana!"

Sana turned her head toward the sound of her name and was met with something brittle smacking straight into her forehead and the sight of a cackling Momo. Pouting, she caressed her forehead, sweeping away the residual flavor powder.

"Yah, what'd you do that for?" Sana grumbled, although there was an underlying smile threatening to break.

Momo shrugged and pointed to the broken piece on the ground. "You stepped on my food."

Sana rose a brow, stepping back and surveying the two chips on the pavement. "Well, you _did_  just waste another perfectly good one throwing it at me."

"Oh yea.. " Momo trailed off plainly.

Sana cocked her head, amused by Momo's antics. She didn't know it, but Momo had also succeeded in her secondary mission. She picked the intact chip up and cradled it between her fingers for a moment. Momo eyed her curiously. Sana sauntered closer with fixed eyes until she was just a mere foot away from Momo, and despite the minuscule odds of failing, she still managed to fling the chip over Momo's shoulder, grazing it and missing her mark of Momo's face spectacularly. Momo was flabbergasted for a moment, mouth slightly agape, before slowly swiveling her body toward where the chip landed behind her, still maintaining eye contact, plucking it off the brick wall and, still maintaining eye contact, tossing it into her parted lips.

Sana was stupefied. The smile that threatened to form finally broke through and an exponentially augmenting amount of giggles escaped. Momo was already donning a full grin by this point and they both ended up in a fit of laughter, smacking their knees as faraway cars honked. And yet, the air was light and playful and full of some sort of warmhearted ease.

When the cackles and chortles finally faded down to a close, with many erratic surges in between, the smiles lingered on their faces.

"What are you doing here?" Sana finally asked, her throat a little sore.

Momo rested her elbows against her crossed legs as she cupped her jaw and chin. "My dad doesn't need help and the view is nice." She tipped her chin toward the now half-clandestine vision of the sun.

Sana turned around and rested her back against the wall as she contemplated the image, finding herself unconsciously nodding in concurrence. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"What are _you_  doing here?" Momo murmured, partially enamored by the sun.

"I forgot my earbuds," Sana answered, equally captivated, perhaps enchanted.

"Hmm," Momo hummed, "well," she hopped off the wall, "today's your lucky day." She dangled a ring of keys settling among her fingers in Sana's line of sight.

Sana chuckled, following a smug Momo back to the locker room doors. "Doesn't your dad need those?"

Momo unlocked the door, swinging it open and flourishing an arm with a devilish glint in her eye. "Don't tell anyone, but I made copies when he wasn't looking."

Sana aggrandized an artificial gasp, placing a hand over her lips and stepping back dramatically. "Scandalous!" She sprung back forward with a genuine, twinkling smile. "I'm honored that you trust me with this incriminating information."

Momo beamed back with mutual remnants of familiar, yet new, glee.

Sana repossessed her earbuds, feeling slightly like a criminal herself in the vacant, deafening silence of the locker room. Maybe it was the fresh stench of bleach. She and Momo ambled back out, finding the sun fully concealed now, below the grassy fields of the school's backyard. They sighed, finding themselves in a placid state, the stars beginning to emerge above them in the gray aftermath of the sunset.

Momo turned toward Sana, finding a small sense of tension arising. She knew it was isolated to herself as she witnessed the serene face of the girl next to her. Momo suppressed it. She hesitated with her next question, but knew it was going to boil out of her throat on its own, regardless.

"Do you want to stay?"

Sana cocked her head, granting Momo a bemused, questioning glance.

"I, uh," Momo teetered her weight between her feet as her cheeks tinged pink, "you don't have to," her face was beginning to redden now, "it was a stupid- "

"Sure."

"Really?" Momo smiled fully at Sana.

Sana smiled back, delighted at the invitation. "Yeah, it's steak night at my house, again, and really, there's only so much red meat a girl can take." She rubbed her tummy, pouting.

Momo chuckled. "I understand. I mean I live alone with my dad so I have my fair share of the various meat varieties." She grimaced. "Sometimes every night of the week. The vegan club would have my neck; I feel like they can sense meat-eaters nearby because they always glare at me when I stop by a little early and have to witness them ranking the various cheese substitutes." She rolled her eyes. "Their snacks always suck too."

Sana chuckled. "Oh come on, you don't like that non-GMO organic weird taste?"

Momo outstretched the bag of chips, lazy confidence oozing out of her demeanor. "Try one."

Sana squinted her eyes in suspicion as she laggardly extracted a single chip, subtly sniffing it as it neared her mouth.

The first taste wasn't too bad - just sort of fake, like it was trying to be something it's not. The second taste resulted in a kneading-bread like motion in the way of Sana's mouth. The graininess and artificial plastic sugar seemed to grow more prominent with every bite and chew. Eventually, she forced the last swallow down. She could still feel various bits still stuck to her teeth and gums, attempting to worm her tongue through and excavate the remaining irritants. She really wished that she had gone to the dentist to fill in that cavity (her mother reminded and reprimanded her every month).

Momo's expression hadn't changed, but when Sana finally returned her gaze, Sana's contorted face encouraged a smirk.

"Ew, how can you eat those?" Sana asked semi-seriously as she wriggled her body and curled her lip in disgust.

Momo just shrugged. "They're chips," she replied, as if it was the simplest reason in the world. And it was, at least for Momo.

Sana sighed, surveying the darkening vicinity as she inhaled the twilight air. "So, what did you want to do?"

Oh. Momo hadn't thought of that. She quickly conjured up a scene as her eyes landed on the abandoned baseball field a distance away. It hadn't been used in years and in effect, emitted its own kind of radio silence. Sometimes, Momo liked to sit cross-legged, jaw cupped, dead center - gazing up at the stars with hazy eyes and hoping that maybe, just maybe, a shooting star would streak. Or, maybe a genie. Or a nice witch. Other times, it made her awfully lonely, with the all-encompassing weight of the empty air around her pushing in. Sometimes, emptiness had its own place in the world.

"Follow me." Momo wandered forward, crumpling the bag of half-eaten chips in her small hand as her feet crossed over from the pavement onto the freshly-trimmed, crunchy blades of grass. Occasionally she thought that lawn-mowing must be a nice job, pleasant and mindless, but then she would remember she hated the sun.

Sana followed her, eying her own footsteps carefully. She nearly bumped into Momo in doing so. Sana felt the same pull and gravity as Momo did, although Momo didn't mention it. It was like entering not another world, but a small, enclosed bubble of their current one. An invisible dome, perhaps. Momo wondered if it reached the stars.

Finally, they reached the pitcher's mound. Momo crouched down first, laying a tote bag on the ground for Sana and settling herself in on top of her backpack.

The only sound for a minute was the resounding sound of Momo's crunching, which seemed to echo and bounce off the empty air.

"Have you been avoiding me?"

Sana wasn't looking at her but Momo reckoned that the question was either directed at her or God, and since she'd never seen any indication that Sana was religious, Momo concluded that-

"Yes."

Sana turned toward Momo, accepting her frank honesty and asking another.

"Why?"

Momo studied her, mentally sifting through her options. She could tell the truth and instantly place a rift into their blossoming friendship, since Sana would undoubtedly feel invaded and exposed. Or, she could tell a little white lie to save them both and secure Sana's privacy. Momo chose the latter, brushing off complete honesty as one of those relationship advice proverbs, although she was nearly _certain_  that it contributed to nearly every demise.

"Um, we don't really get new people around here," Momo uttered, "I guess it took me off guard when you said you'd go to the dance with me."

Guilt suffused through Sana's mind, feeling it stumble and steep into her heart, bathing it in crimson. She nodded. "That's okay," she said lamely, her voice quiet (she didn't know what else to say).

Momo absorbed that as it was, and they sat there in silence again. There was no tension this time.

Sana felt a strange sense of deja vu creeping up on her. Something about this was familiar. She contemplated the side view of Momo's facial features. High cheekbones, a defined nose with just the slightest bump (an imperfection that sparked an inward smile), and doll-like eyes, glinting under the field lamps, filled with stories - and something else she couldn't quite pinpoint.

She contemplated the side view of Momo's facial features again. Momo wasn't wearing her glasses today. Momo's black hair framed her face well (perfectly). Momo had a mole on her nose.

It was only when her eyes landed on that _damn_  bag of chips still cradled in Momo's hand, nearly empty, did that epiphanous moment come. Her mind reverted back to a certain bottom of the barrel candy that claimed to be the heart of Halloween. Jeongyeon at the forefront, accompanied with a belly-aching laugh and a smile still fresh on her mind.

Sana felt.. _something_. What did it mean? She didn't know. But, sharing an incredibly similar scenario with the two of them sent Sana into a spiral, webbed a thousand times over. She contemplated Momo once more. Momo - someone she felt an instant affinity with and pull toward, not dissimilar in fashion to the atmospheric pull currently around her. It staggered her. Because she fel-

"I have to go."

Sana rose haphazardly, nearly tripping over herself as she walked away from the scene, away from Momo.

Momo wasn't sure what was happening, did she do something wrong? Was it her breath? She trailed after Sana for a few steps, temporarily abandoning the imprinted tote bag Jeongyeon got for her last year.

"Wha- "

Her voice died out as Sana didn't seem to hear anyway, as she left their little bubble. Momo sat there for another while, until her dad texted her to come home for dinner. She groaned, mumbling to herself, 'get a grip, Momo' as she kicked her sole against the hard soil. She decided to do a few cartwheels across the grass as well - maybe that would tumble her head in a different way, circle by circle.

As the grass blades creased against her palms (one or two extra prickly), Momo spotted headlights in the distance. With strained eyes, she noted a woman that looked keenly like Sana in the driver's seat. Momo nodded, understanding. Sana had greater worries.

Momo finally gathered her things, folding the tote bag into four and slinging her bag onto her back, not forgetting to grab the empty bag of chips (she was the janitor's daughter after all). She finally looked at the now flattened package, displaying 'Cosmos Wang Sora.' Momo had never heard of it, not surprised that it was left untouched, even for the standards of the vegan club.

\----------

Sana skirted past her mother, rustling her house slippers against the hardwood floor as the frown on her face kept itself sustained throughout the entire car ride. Ms. Minatozaki looked at her daughter's retreating figure in worry, a crease forming on her forehead as her light steps came to a halt in front of the hallway mirror. She caught a glimpse of the way her blouse fell along her frame and scrutinized it, gently caressing her thumbs along the small, soft slope of her belly. Steely eyes, jaded by life, and a small pursing of the lips reflected back at her as she heightened her gaze. Her reflection flashed something at her, something that incited a swift jolt backward and an immediate loss of focused pupils.

"Wow, look at me! I _must_  be gaining weight, I don't know how that happened," she spoke to herself. She refused to meet the eyes of her reflection again, instead opting to interest herself in the fascinating grout between the kitchen counter tiles.

Sana, meanwhile, rushed to grab her _special_  box from its tact place - this time, ignoring the reckless rattle. She inhaled a large breath, a mix of relief and dread etching her body as her hand came to lay upon the lid of the box. She allowed them to press forcefully against the engraving on top, feeling it embed into her palms and create red creases that matched the characters in her name. She studied the box closer tonight. She pushed away the thoughts, the feelings, the _emotions_  concerning her previous encounters, finding comfort in a place she thought would be nothing more than an item of discontent.

In a few moments, her mom would start her habit, her own ritual. Tonight, Sana listened closer to that, too, and inevitably, she would find her own tears streaming down her face and dripping onto her bedroom carpet, silent. The box remained closed for a little while longer tonight, if only for Sana to prolong the moment.

\----------

It was Sunday at dusk. The Minatozakis were ambling down the length of the town's river, amicably jesting over their week in a somewhat rare experience of familial love. The food stands on the other side of the street were quaintly filled with laypeople enjoying breakfast either on one of the small tables scattered around or walking with a pastry in their mouths on an unfortunate work day. Ms. Minatozaki hoped they were getting paid overtime.

Perhaps 50 yards behind them were Jeongyeon and Momo on a friendly bike date, their usual time postponed by an emergency trip to the next town for Grandma Yu's medication. Their expressions radiated that kind of *sofa plop* feeling after a long day, except, their solace was found in each other.

In about two minutes, an overexuberant child would knock over a large basin of spicy pork broth and its yummy contents off a street food stand and onto the pavement, inciting a chorus of gasps and a marriage of all four characters in the myriad of feet and hands and heads bobbing to the aid of the vendor. Luckily, the child was unharmed and walked away with just the wistful clutching of his ruined favorite backpack.

Dozens of rice cakes, fish cakes, fish sticks, several strands of instant ramen noodles, and a single, lone pancake that somehow lost its way (Momo thought that was the most unfortunate) wound up in a latticed hump at their feet, a few escaping to the wayside. The main players commenced a game of new-age jacks (replaced with rice cakes), with Ms. Minatozaki trailing behind; perhaps it was her age? The steam and sizzle from neighboring stands served as the BGM. Sana was in the lead now, her urge to win boiling over. Jeongyeon wondered if this could be patented. The end of the game finalized with a swift conjoining of the food stand's overhanging curtains and the grand prize of gratitude-laden complementary fried and filled pancakes with an extra corn dog for Momo. Jeongyeon and Sana speculated a partial vendor, Sana especially. She would've liked a personal prize, although she concluded that it came in the form of the two people she adored the most since she moved to this little town alongside the vicinal river.

Ms. Minatozaki declined the invitation to join them, despite Momo's boastful display of her arm muscles and proud flourish that touchlessly skated on the curve of Jeongyeon's calves and knees. She had to 'run a few errands' she said, excusing herself, and so, with a chaste kiss to her daughter's cheek and somewhat awkward hugs with Jeongyeon and Momo, she departed until she was a mere silhouette in the distance, blending and mingling with the wellworn laypeople.

Sana felt like she was invading, but warm hands and honey smiles assured her otherwise.

"Do you want to hop on the back of my bike?" a gentle voice suggested, "the other one doesn't have an extra seat."

Sana nodded, swinging her leg over, situating herself in minute comfort. Her chauffeur set off then, the scent of her shampoo wafting into Sana's vicinity of air with the subtle hint of a sweet perfume. Sana detected it with a smile.

The other girl a few footsteps afar pushed off with her own grunt and a scuff of her sneakers. She inhaled the coalescing of steamed dumplings, the salt of the river, the whiff of someone she thought needed a shower, the aroma of the fusing pleasant scents beside her that effaced any negatives. She dug a hollow in their milieu, embedding her presence. The spirit was light and the falling sun colored red against the dark, sparkling embers of the night sky, fond smiles rearing their pretty heads toward her, tips of teeth peeking, saying hello. She smiled back, rapt. Her whisper lost in the air, feeling the hills of her lips rising on their own.

Wheels and squeals danced together as the trio glided upon the pavement, drifting toward what felt like a dream. The wind was their lullaby and the moon their salvation, projecting its light to create the shadows of their favorite movie. Sighs and soughs and whooshes susurrated and weaved between the strands of Sana's hair, whispering secrets of longing and wishes to stay. Laughs echoed among her in the air - Sana's new favorite song.

With arms encircled around a small waist, with hands feathering tinkles against the cotton of a tee shirt, Sana felt a stirring and fluttering of wings in her abdomen, long dormant. Her hands gripped tighter, fingers clasping and overlapping. She feigned fear, letting out giggles and hot breaths. The back against her was warm. Sana felt the dimples just above the other's jeans swivel in friction with her as the hands clutched the handle bars with swelled pressure.

The hands rang the bell, unable to help themselves, giggling with a teeter-totter at the jingle that emerged; she was elated! Her legs pedaled harder, inciting hearty laughs from the others and a whine that droned on melodically. Sana's heart was going to beat out of her chest, and she wondered if it might knock the other's spine. The mismatched hammering of their palpitations created an erratic cacophony. Sana thought it was beautiful, and, in that moment, her heart was full.

And, in that moment, she didn't want to die. In the span of a smile, the butterflies turned into a swarm of bees. A laugh, and they were wasps. Sana felt the knife twist into her gut. She turned away from the smiles, the beauty, pressed her face against the vertebrae, held back her tears. 'The quivers and quakes are from the cold,' Sana insisted. They believed her with lingering worries etched across their faces. Sana obliged to an offered jacket, and, they rode again.

They came upon a clearing, an underpass of the bridge over the river. There was an array of flowers scattered around the edges, dispersing and planting themselves like long-forgotten memories. Some stems stood tall, others frail. Petals laid like fallen stars on the soil, etching their names into the dirt as an all too familiar atmosphere enveloped those who stepped foot.

"Have we been here before?"

Sana hummed as her eyes traveled on the trail of delicate dandelions toward a wild bush of thorny roses.

"A long time ago, I think."

A lie by omission. Notes of a fib bared through inflections and deflections with a displaced gaze toward the fresh lilies atop a gravestone.

"Wasn't this a park?" Light steps scrunched into the hard dirt as eyes bloomed with intuit, docs scuffing to implore a lost timeline.

"It was an Im watch store for a few months." What it was before that, before everything, it didn't matter. Not really.

A flower made its way into Sana's hands, its face telling of a love unseen. Her fingertips found their way around its fringes. Her open-toed sandals moved of their own accord, closer.

"Sana?" a voice called out.

Sana looked up.

"You've been quiet."

Sana studied her, closer now.

"Come here."

Footsteps treaded lightly toward her. They met in the in between, their shadows melting into one another, closer still.

The still-unknown flower rose and rose until it settled in the crevice of an earlobe and soft wisps of tucked behind sideburns (a blush rose in tandem). Love was blooming. Could it be? Her hands clammed up. She might have fainted then. She might have, saved by -

"Wanna get ice cream?"

A gentle curve of lips followed, thrice in succession.

"Sure."

Chocolate praline, coconut with infused flakes, and some sort of citrus fusion adorned the peaks of waffle cones, mountaining comfort with satiated owners. Smiles were shared all around, along with different flavors and laughs and a secret _yuck_  face. The coconut ice cream melted, dripping down in an almost lethargic manner until it kissed the knuckle of a delicate finger (a squeal was heard).

They sat relaxed on a bench overlooking the river, chins cupped: one settling on a clavicle. Eyes were drooping, embodied with simple content as the world around them spun on its axis (as it did every day). This current moment was riding the tide of peace, pure. Like the small waves a distance away, not quite reaching their sandy toes. The night carried their repose, until all was still, and the town turned quiet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, sorry about the wait. hope this makes up for it a lil >.<
> 
> the proceeding chapters will be lengthy too but i really dont want to go 3 months again for another update. just wait for me a lil~

**Author's Note:**

> twitter/curiouscat : enesnl :)


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